EXCLUSIVE: Fashion Q&A: Tracee Ellis Ross

Actress Tracee Ellis Ross has been our girlfriend since she starred in the The CW sitcom in 2008, and if you follow her on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, you get to know the style and beauty maven inside and out. This week, Ross launched her new site TraceeEllisRoss.com and she's dishing on all the deets to ESSENCE.com.

ESSENCE.com: What sparked the idea to start TraceeEllisRoss.com?TRACEE ELLIS ROSS: My life. This has been a lifelong journey because with the site I’m opening up and sharing my world. That said—I don’t think I could’ve gotten to this place without social media. When Girlfriends was on the air, social media didn’t even exist! Up until recently I had no real way of connecting to people who connected with me. So, over the past year I’ve really come to embrace Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and a website felt like the next logical step in fostering this community.

ESSENCE.com:With so many blogs and websites out there, how does yours differ from the others?ROSS: Well the most obvious answer is “They don’t have me!” Tee-hee!

ESSENCE.com:What are some of your favorite websites?ROSS: The truth is that my relationship with the web is new. I'm not really a “surfer” but I find lots of fun stuff through Twitter. I'm also partial to sites that harness a community, like HelloGiggles. I adore and am amazed by TED. I love street style blogs—I just discovered Jak & Jil and I’m OBSESSED. I also read most of my news online, and of course I’m a regular ESSENCE.com reader. Mostly though, Pinterest eats up the majority of my time online!

ESSENCE.com:Tell us a little about the girl or guy you're speaking to.ROSS: I’m speaking to all the joy-seekers, style-lovers and deep-feelers, hungry for a community of like-minded and like-hearted people who are interested in celebrating and inspiring each other. It would also help if they’re actually hungry for some of the delicious, quick and easy recipes I post!

ESSENCE.com:You have inspirational quotes, a feature called "tear it and wear it," hair posts and more—so far, what's your favorite?ROSS: It depends on the day! That’s what I love most about the site. It’s an authentic representation of my world. I love fashion, I love food, I love Gyrotonic. Everything I write about on the site is important to me for one reason or another. My goal is that people enjoy exploring those loves, and in turn, share their own with me!

P.S. If you’ve never heard of Gyrotonic, which, let’s be real you probably haven’t, keep visiting my website! It’s one of my favorite workouts and I’m writing about it soon.